


Berries

by SolemnVow



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Swearing, Uncomfortable/gross elements, blood mention, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-16 14:45:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14167191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolemnVow/pseuds/SolemnVow
Summary: Roman was happy. Moving into a house with his friends, meeting a nice neighbor in a nice neighborhood in a nice town… what more could he ask for? Why did he feel… uneasy?





	Berries

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is a dumb idea that came into my head while helping amazable01 (on tumblr) out with their own neighborhood fic. There’s no relation, I just… Enjoy. Thanks to my-happy-little-bean (TiredOfBeingNice on here) for being a good beta to meeee <3

Roman sang happily as he moved boxes into their house. It was exciting! Finally, they all could live together in what seemed to be the perfect neighborhood! Patton looked at the label of the box and whistled along as he carried the box to its proper spot. Roman turned back to grab another box from Virgil, who was standing, vigilant, by the moving van. Virgil had his headphones in as he scanned the neighborhood. 

It was a nice cul-de-sac with few cookie-cutter houses dotting the landscape down the road. The road led to a small town, and from there, the rest of the world seemed an age away. It certainly differed from the dreams that Roman had for himself, but everyone started somewhere! As they had drove in, he spotted an old theater for sale. A perfect calling for a great actor like himself! Patton always said he would make a great director! As he carried in the last of the boxes, he stared down the road. Potential. This town held great potential!

The three friends chatted aimlessly as they tried to unpack as many boxes as they could. Thank goodness for Virgil’s careful labeling! Roman slumped down on the couch, exhausted.

“Pattttoooonnnn,” He whined, his face pressed into the cushion. Patton stuck his head out from the kitchen.

“Yeah, kiddo?” He smiled warmly.

“I’m hungry! What are we going to eat?” Patton checked his watch.

“Well, it’s getting late, the grocery store might be closed by now… but maybe there’s a pizza place open! Check your phone.” Roman huffed as he peeled himself from the leather couch and unlocked his phone. He barely finished typing ‘places to eat’ into Google before the doorbell rang. Virgil froze from his spot on the stairs.

“Who could be here this late at night?” Virgil asked incredulously, suddenly nervous.

“Ooh! Maybe it’s new friends!” Patton exclaimed, clapping his hands excitedly.

“Patton, it could be a murderer,” he gritted out, clawing at the hem of his sleeve.

“Roman, answer the door!” Patton continued, motioning towards the door eagerly. “New friends!”

“Or a MURDERER, Patton!” Virgil hissed as he clutched the stair rail. Roman rolled his eyes and peered through the peephole at the door. A man in semi-formal dress and glasses shuffled his feet and tapped the lid of some sort of container. Roman decided that Patton could be right and opened the door. 

“Greetings, Sir! What brings you to our humble abode?” Roman grinned. The man jumped and adjusted his glasses.

“Ah, salutations. My name is Logan. I’m… your neighbor.”

“See, Virgil? Our neighbor!” Roman called out towards the stairs. He got an aggravated hiss in response.

“Yes.” The man blinked. “Well. I believe it to be customary for a neighbor to bring new neighbors an offering of some sort of dish as a gesture of goodwill. I confess I do not have a proficiency for baking, so I made pasta. I hope that will suffice.” The man—Logan—held out the container. Roman blinked, trying to process all of those… words. Patton, of course, jumped in and saved him from an embarrassing awkward silence.

“Pasta?! Oh, I love pasta! You just have so many pasta-bilities!” He grinned. Logan blushed and looked away from them. “Anyway, that’s so sweet of you, Logan! You should come in and eat with us!” Logan looked up nervously and shook his head.

“I must politely decline your invitation. It is most generous of you to do so, but I believe it’s getting late. Curfew and all of that.”

“Curfew?” Virgil’s eyes narrowed. Logan raised his hands defensively.

 

“Ah, for me, really! Most of the neighbors adhere to a strict schedule, so it’s just habit by now.”

“Well, okay then, but I’m gonna take a raincheck on that dinner, new friend.” Patton winked. Logan tilted his head curiously.

“Rain…. Check? But the rain doesn’t write— oh. I see.” He made a face not unlike the expression one would have when tasting a sour lemon. He chuckled. “Perhaps. I will see you all around, then.” He smiled and left, walking back towards his house.

“That was… weird.” Virgil finally approached them when Roman had closed the door and locked it.

“If by ‘weird’ you mean ‘nice’, then yes! It was very ‘weird’.” Patton grinned and walked towards the kitchen, holding the container of pasta as if it was gold.

“I agree with Patton, Virgil! It was very nice. And think about it. Now we don’t have to go out for food!”

~

“It’s not that early, is it? Why is the store empty?” Virgil muttered as they looked around the small grocery store.

“Ah, well, maybe everyone works. Don’t sweat it, Panic! At The Everywhere.” Roman gathered more things in their cart, adding up the total in his head. 

Virgil meticulously checked everything off of their list, making compromises and substitutes when necessary. He tried to double check his coupons that he had cut out and placed with the list the night before. Roman didn’t argue with the List. It had gotten them out of a few scrapes when money was tight. Eventually, Virgil nodded at Roman, satisfied that they had what they needed. Roman steered the cart towards the checkout.

“Oh, hello again, Logan!” Roman smiled warmly at the cashier. The cashier froze and looked up at Roman.

“Pardon me? I don’t believe we met.” Roman’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Aren’t you our neighbor?” The cashier paused and laughed.

“Oh! No, no. You must be the new arrivals! Ah, I can see the confusion. No, my name is Mr. Crofters.” Roman frowned as his cheeks flushed red.

“Oh, I’m sorry….” Mr. Crofters laughed lightly.

“Ah, it’s alright, Roman. We all make mistakes! Plus, you’re new, so how could you have known? Your total is $23.05.” Roman sheepishly avoided eye contact as he paid. “You boys have a good day, now!”

“Thank you, Mr. Crofters….” Roman mumbled as he grabbed the groceries and slunk back to the car. Oh! How he could just die of embarrassment! 

Virgil glanced between the grocery store and Roman. “That was…. Weird.” Roman groaned.

“Wholeheartedly embarrassing! That’s what I get for assuming! They looked so similar from far away!”

“Maybe they’re related, Princey. Isn’t that the usual for small towns?” Virgil replied with an eyeroll. 

“I guess….” Roman huffed.

“Take your own words of advice and ‘don’t sweat it, Panic! At The Everywhere.”” Virgil said mockingly. Roman smirked as Virgil hopped into the car. 

“I’m glad you care so much, My Chemically Imbalanced Romance.” Roman put the groceries away and got into the driver’s seat. Virgil glanced over at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Don’t get used to it, Princey.” He curled up in the seat as Roman drove home. 

As he unloaded the car and passed the groceries off to Patton, he relayed his moment of embarrassment to him, hoping for some stronger reassurance.

“Oh, they probably get that all the time, Roman! I wouldn’t worry.” Patton smiled. “Why don’t you walk around town? It might take your mind off of it all.” 

“Maybe you’re right, Patton,” Roman sighed and grabbed his wallet and keys. “I’ll be back later.”

“Have fun!” Patton called out as Roman walked off. It wasn’t long before Roman found himself in front of that abandoned theater, staring at the “FOR SALE” sign. Before he knew it, his phone was out and he had dialed the number.

“Hello, this is Mayor Sanders speaking. How might I be of assistance to you today?” The voice on the other end asked. Roman froze for a moment.

“Uh…” Roman’s mind went blank.

“Yes, hello? Were you calling to inquire about the theater?” The mention of the theater snapped Roman out of his trance.

“Yes! Ah! I was! I wish to look around the theater. I’m interested in buying it!” Roman smiled.

“I see. I’ll be to that location promptly.” Mayor Sanders abruptly hung up. Roman stared at his phone, confused.

“O…...kay…….” He drawled, putting his hands in his pockets and trying to peer through the windows.

“The building has quite the potential, doesn’t it?” A voice behind him remarked. Roman jumped up in shock and whirled around to face…. Logan. This time in a proper, clean-pressed, three-piece suit. He didn’t have any glasses, so that helped with the distinction. At Roman’s look of confusion, the man who looked like Logan cleared his throat and straightened his tie.

“Mayor Sanders. You called about the theater not too long ago, remember?” He stared down at Roman, eyebrow raised. Roman looked down at the ground, cheeks red with embarrassment.

“I-I did, yes. I’d like to see inside.” Mayor Sanders nodded and produced a key to unlock the door to the theater. He rambled on as they took a tour of the building.

“It’s in surprising good condition.” Roman hummed as he looked around. Mayor Sanders raised his eyebrow.

“Of course it is. Why would you expect anything else? We wouldn’t want to let anything fall into decay and disrepair. That’s hardly conducive to a healthy environment.” He sniffed dismissively. “So, you’ve seen the theater. Do you wish to make a purchase?” Roman looked up at him, confused.

“What?” Mayor Sanders sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Are you going to buy the theater?” He deadpanned.

“Oh!” Roman exclaimed, “Yes! I’d love to! I think it will be perfect!” Mayor Sanders nodded.

“Satisfactory. If you could accompany me to my office, we can get the paperwork sorted and I can bequeath the key to you.” 

“Alright! Lead the way!” Mayor Sanders walked over to his car and waited for Roman to hop inside. He gave Roman a disdainful look before driving off to City Hall. Roman stared out the window, taking in the sights of the rest of the town. They passed the bank, a school, and probably the oddest sight for Roman, a boarded up Library. He didn’t say anything to Mayor Sanders, but he made a note to take a look around. 

Roman was…. Full of emotions as they walked up to the Mayor’s office. It was exciting! It was nerve wracking. It all passed in blur. He was agreeing to pay for the theater, signing forms, and now, there was a comforting weight of the key to the building in his hands as he was ushered out of the building.

He walked towards home in a daze. He didn’t even notice how close he was to the library until he felt someone pull him into the alley between the school and the library. 

“H-hey! What are you doing?!” Roman stumbled and prepared to fight is unknown assailant. 

“Shh!” The man put his hand over Roman’s mouth. “We don’t know who’s listening in!” The man peered at Roman through half-moon glasses. He peeled his hand away and straightened his sweater vest. “I’m sorry for all of this… shifty behavior. I… needed to warn you.”

“Warn me? Who are you?” Roman asked incredulously. The man sighed.

“Yes, warn you. I’m…. Teach. Isn’t there something wrong? You must sense it…” Roman’s eyes went wide. It was all coming together.

“I knew there was something off about the town! But, what do I do about it?” Teach looked over at the boarded up library.

“Seek knowledge. Knowledge is an incomparably valuable, multi-purpose tool that is instrumental in identifying and solving any problem. If you’re worried about getting hurt, then seek knowledge. It is our greatest weapon, and our greatest defense.” Roman’s eyes glazed over as Teach passionately ranted on the merits of knowledge. At the end of the speech, Teach handed Roman a piece of paper, which snapped him out of his daze.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“A way to seek knowledge. Hide it.” Teach hissed.

“What’s going on down here?” A voice called out from the end of the alley.

“O-Officer Holmes! I… We… We aren’t doing anything! Just taking a stroll! We took a little detour. Roman was interested in… the school!” Teach stuttered and stumbled over his words. Officer Holmes looked over the both of them. Roman smiled nervously.

“Hmm… I see. Well, I don’t want to catch anyone doing any wrongdoings. Following the rules is important here.” He looked pointedly at Roman.

“Ah, yes, of course! Such wonderful words of wisdom, Officer Holmes!” Teach chuckled nervously, glancing at Roman as well.

“Ah, yes! Things I’ll be certain to keep in mind!” Roman said a bit too boisterous in tone. 

“Hmm.” Officer Holmes leaned down, getting in Roman’s face. “See that you do.” He straightened up. “Good day.” He said curtly as he turned and walked back to the main road.

After Officer Holmes left, Roman bolted. He ran and ran and didn’t stop until he had made it home and into Virgil’s room.

“Hey, what the hell? Manners much, Roman?” Virgil scrambled to stand up out of bed. Roman panted as he leaned against the doorframe. He gripped Virgil’s shoulders.

“VIRGIL, WE NEED TO LEAVE. IT’S NOT SAFE HERE,” he said calmly.

“Woah, woah, why?” Virgil questioned, not liking the manhandling.

“I… He… They’re all Logan.” He hissed. Virgil’s eyes went wide.

“Oh shit. Roman...Roman, Logan’s with Patton.” Roman stilled, his head whipping around to stare past Virgil’s doorway. They both shared a look before running downstairs to see Patton and Logan cooking together in the kitchen. They must have made quite the racket because both Patton and Logan looked up at them in shock.

“Oh, kiddos. What’s the matter? You guys look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Patton’s brow furrowed with concern.

“Padre…. I… We need to tell you something.” Roman croaked out in a strained voice, his eyes betraying the alarm that he felt.

“Well, kiddos, we’re all friends here! Go ahead!” Patton smiled.

“N-no, Padre… not in front of-” Roman couldn’t finish his sentence before Patton yowled in pain, clutching his hand.

“Oh, Patton. I’m so sorry. My hand slipped.” Logan said in a stilted voice, his eyes never leaving Roman’s. Patton rushed over to the sink to clean the wound.

“That’s okay! Accidents happen!” Patton replied cheerfully, pressing a cloth to his cut.

“Yes,” Logan continued to stare at Roman and Virgil, “Accidents can happen.” He wiped the blood off of the knife. “Well, since they are so eager to speak to you privately, Patton, I will take my leave now.” He nodded towards Patton and walked out of the house. Both Virgil and Roman were frozen like deer in front of headlights until they heard the front door close.

“Okay, we’re leaving tonight. You convince Pat while I load up the car.” Roman said. Virgil nodded and steeled himself for that conversation. 

“Work fast. We don’t know who’s watching.” Roman nodded.

“Understood.” He wandered off to gather their essentials while Virgil faced Patton.

“Pat?” He called out tentatively, the whole situation making him nervous. Patton turned to face Virgil and smiled.

“What’s up, Virgil? What are you kiddos doing?” Patton asked cheerfully. Virgil shifted on his feet.

“There’s something we need to talk about.” He moved next to Patton.

“Well, sure, kiddo! Anything!” Patton smiled brightly.

“This town isn’t safe, Pat.” Virgil said softly. Patton tilted his head to the side.

“How so, kiddo?”

“There’s something off about it. Don’t you feel it?” Virgil whispered as Roman gathered more things.

“Well… I don’t know….” Patton wrung his hands as he watched Roman move back and forth from the house to the car.

“The whole town seems to be hiding something! Something sinister, I’m sure.”

“I… Well, I believe you, kiddos. If you two are agreeing with it, then it must be important….” Patton lingered in the house.

“Patton, come on. You need to come with us.” Virgil urged, tugging on Patton’s sleeve.

“He’s right, Padre. We’re getting out of here and we can’t leave you behind.” Patton’s eyes darted around.

“Well. If you’re sure, kiddos. I… don’t really see the problem with the town…”

“He hurt you, Patton!” Roman crowed. Patton rubbed his hand.

“Alright. Let’s go.” He smiled softly at them both. They all quickly scrambled into the car. 

“To the library, Virgil! Step on it!” As they drove away, a light turned on in Logan’s house.

It didn’t take them too long to reach the library. It was silent as the grave, with not a single person in sight. Virgil parked in the alley near the rear of the library.

“Not taking any chances of being caught….” He mumbled as they found a boarded up window. Roman pulled out a crowbar.

“Came prepared this time!” He grinned as he pried the boards off of the window. Virgil caught them and set them aside so that there was barely any noise. Once the boards were off, they noticed that the window was open.

“Alright, who’s going first?” Roman looked at Patton and Virgil. 

“I think it should be you. Pat and I can boost you up.” Roman nodded. 

“Alright. I’ll try to find something that would help you two in as well.” Both Patton and Virgil knelt down to help push Roman through the window. Roman luckily landed on some soft carpet as he tumbled inside. He turned his phone on and tried to see what was there in his surroundings. His gaze landed on a ladder. He grinned as he grabbed this convenient solution to their problem and pushed it through the window. It wasn’t long before Virgil and Patton both joined him.

“Wow. It’s not as dusty as I would have expected….” Virgil glanced around.

“So, kiddos… What are we doing here?” Patton asked nervously. 

“Ah, well, one of the…. People here… gave us a map and said we could find the answers we seek in this place!” Roman produced the map and showed it to Patton.

“Okay! Oh, wow, this map is really detailed! It was pretty lucky that he had this! So, the archive room is down in the basement…. That must be where we need to go!” Patton pointed to an area on the map. Roman quickly cross-referenced where they were with the map and started walking towards the back with a purpose.

“...Are we sure this will even work? Like… something seems off about this.” Virgil whispered as he followed them down into the basement.

“Oh, relax, Surly Temple.” Roman rolled his eyes as they walked towards the archives. “We’ll be fine.” They made their way into a huge room full of boxes.

“Well…. Shit. Let’s try to hurry.” Roman pulled down a box and peered inside. Patton and Virgil did the same.

“Do we know what we’re looking for, kiddos?” Patton asked as he looked through a box.

“No, but we’ll know it when we see it!” They all started searching. What seemed like hours passed in a moment and still, they had yet to progress. Boxes and files were strewn everywhere. Eventually, they came across a box that was taped shut.

“Here! This must be it!” Roman cried out to the other two. They all gathered around the box in anticipation. Roman peeled off the tape and opened the first file. He eager, gleeful face fell into one of disappointment.

“So there’s nothing here?” Virgil hissed, trying to see into the darkness with his phone. Roman flipped through the files.

“Nothing but a weird button!” Roman pulled the strange remote object from the box.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Press it.” Virgil rolled his eyes. Roman did just that. To their right, the wall opened to reveal a secret room.

“Oh shit….” They all moved forward to look into the room. As they stepped forward, lights came on. They all jumped and shielded their eyes from the sudden brightness. As they peered around, it was obvious that they had stumbled into something…. That they were not meant to see. The room was straight out of a sci-fi flick featuring a mad scientist. Tubes lined one wall. They glowed with a sickly green color. Virgil moved closer to investigate and immediately jumped back.

“No fucking way!” He blurted out, looking horrified. Roman raised an eyebrow and looked over at him.

“No freaking way, what? What did you see?” Virgil just shook his head. Roman sighed and marched over to the tube, muttering about how he had to do everything himself. 

He wished he hadn’t.

In the tube was a disgusting sight…. A half-formed human, already wearing glasses, a black polo shirt, and khaki trousers. 

Roman backed up and tried not to puke at the sight.

“Oh, for the love of Sir Ian McKellen!” He cried out, clutching his chest. Before they could react any further, they heard footsteps and voices above them. 

“Shit, we need to go! Patton, you memorized the map, where’s the nearest exit?!” Patton paused for a second before running deeper into the basement.

“There’s a door that leads outside through here, kiddos!” He called out as he ran. Roman and Virgil wasted no time following him. Soon, they found themselves in a small room with a red door. 

“That must be the door!” Patton exclaimed in celebration. Virgil rushed to the door as Roman closed the one that they had run through.

“Damn! It’s locked!” Virgil hissed as he jiggled the handle. Patton whimpered as he glanced behind them.

“Stand aside, Skinny Eat World!” Roman tried to push against the door to break it down. It wouldn’t budge. Virgil scoffed and was about to make a scathing remark at Roman’s expense when he was interrupted by a squeak of fear. Roman whipped around only to find that they were nearly surrounded by Logans. He stood valiantly in front of Patton and Virgil. 

“Leave us be!” He demanded, sticking his chin up in defiance. 

“What is your concern, Roman? Are you not content here? In this perfect world?” Neighbor Logan stepped forward from the group.

“I must say that you all have been quite the disruption. I believe that they have broken several rules. Our sacred laws.” Sheriff Logan commented.

“Should we consider…” Professor Logan looked around at them all. “Making them perfect?”

“I concur. It would be the most efficient solution.” Mayor Logan piped up.

“More effortless.” Grocer Logan nodded.

“Optimal!” A third called out. Neighbor Logan raised his hands.

“Gentlemen! Gentlemen, please. Let’s be civil.” He looked at Roman. “Please join us. We really wouldn’t want to force you.” He smiled, but his expression quickly turned cold and sinister. “But we will if we have to.” Roman put his arms out, shielding Virgil and Patton from the group. 

“Never! Logan, you’ve gone mad!” Roman cried out. Neighbor Logan laughed.

“So you’ve chosen the hard way. Very well.” He waved his hand and the others swarmed the three, overpowering them.

~~~

Roman bolted upright on the couch, breathing heavily and clutching at his chest. His head whipped around as he tried to free himself from the tendrils of that horrid dream. A dream… it was just a dream— nay! A nightmare!

“Are you quite alright, Roman?” Logan turned to face him, eyebrow raised. A Twilight Zone episode that was playing quietly in the background reflected off of Logan’s glasses as Roman let out a shrill scream.

~~~

What is a dream? Your subconscious trying to make sense of what you’ve learned? An echo of what you’ve seen? Or is it a warning? One might go mad to try and analyze every aspect of a dream. Is kindness just masking malicious intent? Are dreams ever truly clear in meaning? 

These musings just cannot be confined to:

The Logan Zone


End file.
